Count Me the Hours

I jolted awake to the sound of my phone ringing. I laid there in  confusion at first, not realizing where I was. I sprung into action  though, crawling over Garrett to reach my phone.

Pulling it off the charger I answered it. "Yeah," I asked, pushing a hand through my messy hair.

"Hey bitch," Sarah said enthusiastically on the other end of the line.

"Do you really have to call me this fucking early?" I questioned, wiping my eyes. I was half on top of Garrett, laying across his torso.

"It's ten there, hardly early!" Sarah protested, talking very loudly.

"We just woke up, so can I call you later? Please?" I begged a bit, yawning.

"Fine," she said, dragging the word out.

"Talk to you later," I said before hanging up.

"Who was that and why did they call so damn early?" Garrett groaned as I put my phone back in it's original position. I smiled, positioning myself over him more.

"Good morning," I said, kissing him softly.

"Morning," he responded, smiling up at me. He sighed contently, raising his hand up to push the hair out of my face.

"Are we doing anything today?" I asked quietly, laying on his chest quite comfortably.

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because I just want to stay here all day," I said truthfully. His chest rumbled under me as he laughed.

I managed to slip back into sleep but not for very long. I woke up again as Garrett rolled over a bit, sliding me off of him.

I moaned in annoyance, covering my eyes.

"Sorry, sorry!" Garrett said quickly.

I smiled, opening my eyes. Garrett was already out of the bed, standing beside it.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked him, scooting over enough to grab his hand.

"I was going to go make some breakfast for us," he said with a shrug.

I shook my head and pulled on his hand, bringing him back down to the bed. I pulled him to me, kissing him, my hands on either side of his neck.

He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly, keeping me close. I smiled into the kiss as his thumb brushed over the skin of my hip which had been exposed when my shirt rode up.

His lips moved hot over mine as our bodies pressed together. He kissed down to jaw and I could feel my pulse sky rocket. My phone started to ring again.

"Leave it," Garrett whispered, moving his lips down to my neck. I curled my toes tightly, feeling as though I could explode as his lips brushed over the hollow of my throat.

The ringing phone stopped a moment later and Garrett's lips found mine again. His hand had found it's way up the back of my shirt, resting in the small of my back. His hand was warm against my skin as his tongue glided over my bottom lip.

I toyed with the hem of Garrett's t-shirt as my phone rang again. Garrett groaned, burying his face in my neck.

"Go ahead and answer it," he told me with a sigh, kissing the skin of my neck lazily.

I reached for my phone and sighed before answering it. "Hello?"

"Okay, so Mila called me and asked me to call you to ask if you and Garrett are coming to the cook out today. So, are you?" Dree asked on the other end of the line.

"Fuck, I forgot about that!" I hissed  under my breath.

"Forgot about what?" Garrett asked, raising his head up.

"The cook out at my mom's," I told him.

"Shit, it's the Fourth of July already?" Garrett said in surprise.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

"Will you guys be there or not?" Dree asked, sounding to be near her wit's end.

"Yeah, we'll show up at some point," I assured her.

"You better, or your ass is grass and I'm the lawn mower," she threatened before hanging up.

"Fuck," I groaned, my upper lip curling in distaste.

"Don't mind if I do," he joked, kissing my neck again.

"You're disgusting," I said with a laugh, pushing him away. His arms were tightly locked around my waist, making it impossible to get away from him.

He kissed me again a bit sloppily before finally releasing me. He slid out of the bed, grabbing a handful of clothes from his dresser.

"Are you getting a shower?" I asked, sitting up in the bed, trying to smooth my hair.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh.

"Good, you need it," I teased, smiling.

"Speak for yourself, Cousin It," he joked, making reference to my hair, which was everywhere.

"Shut up," I said, scowling at him.

He shrugged, swooping down and kissing me quickly. "You can use my bathroom, I'll use the one in the hall," he told me. I nodded, standing up as he left the room. I grabbed a handful of clothes for myself and retreated to the bathroom.

I showered quickly, working the shampoo and conditioner through my hair thoroughly. I stepped out of the shower and brushed my teeth before towel drying my hair the best I could. I dressed quickly, leaving my hair wavy and putting on a little eye liner.

I walked back through the bedroom, tossing my dirty clothes onto my suitcase. Opening my smaller suitcase, I routed through it for my tote. I opened the bag and shoved a pair of flip flops in, as well as my bikini.

I walked into the hallway, bag on my shoulder and noticed that the bathroom door was still closed. I frowned before knocking on it.

"Yeah?" Garrett asked from the other side of the door.

"I hope you're decent," I said, twisting the knob. I opened the door as Garrett buttoned his jeans, still shirtless. "Jesus Christ, Gare, it takes you longer to get ready than I do," I teased.

"Shut up," he grumbled, fussing with his hair.

"Get a move on, or Dree will call me back and make obscene accusations about what's taking us so long."

"Shit, you're right," he said, tugging his shirt on over his head, grabbing his phone and keys of the counter before brushing past me to run into his bedroom quickly.

He came back out a minute later, swim trunks in hand. He slipped his hand into mine and started down the stairs.

When we pulled up to my mom's house, the street was already full of cars. My mom's annual Fourth of July cook out was a bit legendary. Invitations were sent out six weeks in advance with a tight RSVP deadline.

There were tables upon tables of food and an open bar. Volleyball was a favorite at the party and the massive pool was open as well.

As soon as we walked through the gate, Pat tackled me.

"I haven't seen you in forever, Lulu!" he exclaimed, clinging to me.

"Pat, heel!" Kenny said, calling him down. Pat frowned, but released me.

"Where've you guys been, it's like you dropped off the face of the earth!" Jared said, hugging me quickly.

"We've been busy," Garrett said quickly.

Kennedy and Jared both raised their eyebrows, looking back and forth from me to Garrett.

"Are you guys...?" Kennedy started.

"Together, yes. In a way," Garrett informed then, draping his arm around my waist. A blush rushed to my face.

"You guys are so cute," Pat gushed, clapping his hands together once.

"Thanks, Pat," I grumbled, still blushing.

"We were wondering when it was going to happen," Kennedy said, winking at us.

"Awkwardness aside, time for food," Garrett said, grabbing a plate from the nearby table. I followed suit, taking a plate before piling it high with food.

We found a table near the back with the guys and Stephen and Dree. We all sat and talked while we ate.

"They had pasta salad up there?" Garrett asked, sounding rather astounded, glancing over at my plate.

"Yeah," I said, taking a bite of it. "It's really good. Want some?" He nodded and I stabbed a few noodles and a cherry tomato with my fork and held it out to him. He ate it off the fork and nodded in approval.

"You guys are disgusting," Dree said jokingly. "Even Stephen and I don't do that."

"You guys don't share food, only bodily fluids," I shot back at her, owning several "Ohhh!"s from the other people at the table.

"That was actually pretty good," Stephen muttered, looking kind of shocked.

"Don't underestimate her, Gomez," Kennedy assured him, nodding towards me. "She's got just as much bite as your girl."

"We are related, so it makes sense," I noted, just for the record. Everybody shrugged and nodded.

An hour later, after we'd all eaten our body weight in food and dessert, Garrett and I headed into the house to change into our swimsuits. Outside it was nearing 105 degrees and the idea of the cool pool water was enough to drive me insane.

"God, how long does it take you to change?" Garrett asked, pounding on the bathroom door as I tried to tie the top of my bathing suit.

"Jesus Christ, Garrett, calm the fuck down," I yelled back, biting down on my lip. It's hard to untangle a knot behind our back, I realized. "Gare, come in, I need help."

"Oh, and why should I?" he challenged from the other side of the door. From his tone, it was obvious that he had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Uhmm, because I said so?"

He sighed before turning the knob and entering the bathroom. I smiled in triumph and held my hair out of the way so he could work on the knot.

"The things I do for you," he grumbled in mock frustration. I smiled to myself.

As he worked on the knot, his fingers brushed against the back of my neck, raising goosebumps along my skin. The idea of just turning around and having my way with him right then and there crossed my mind and lingered. Blinking rapidly, I pushed the fantasy into the back of my mind.

"There, happy?" he questioned once he'd untangled the knot.

"Very," I said smiling as I kissed him on the cheek. I tied the knot correctly and adjusted my bikini top. "Ready?"

"Give me a minute," he said with a wink before kissing me.

I smiled against his lips, wrapping my arms around his neck quickly. I had to admit, the feeling of his bare torso pressed against mine was more than enough to make me go weak in the knees. His tongue glided along my bottom lip skillfully before sliding into my mouth.

Without effort, he lifted me onto the counter of the sink, standing between my parted legs. Acting on instinct, I pulled my mouth from his, kissing his cheek, then his jaw and chin before attaching my lips to the skin of his neck. His hand rose from my hip to my rib cage, toying with the bottom of my bikini top.

"Tallulah," he said breathlessly, his voice cracking slightly.

"Hmm?" I asked, my lips still on the skin if his neck.

Just as he took in a breath to answer, the door opened and John walked in.

I pulled away from Garrett immediately, my body rigid. A crazy blush started up my neck and I looked down at the floor. When I dared to look at John, who was still standing in the doorway, he looked completely shocked.

"I uhm...I'm going to get another beer," he said, glancing at each of us once more beofre retreating out of the bathroom.

Garrett and I stood there in an awkward silence, neither of us knowing what to say in light of what had just happened. He looked at me and opened his mouth to say something.

"I don't want to hear it, Gare," I said, sliding off the counter, and grabbing my clothes. I stepped into my shorts and pulled my tank top back on. Buckling my shoes, I shoved my remaining stuff into my tote and left the bathroom, making a dash for the stairs.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Garrett asked, chasing after me. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me away from the stairs.

"Let go."

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he pressed on, keeping a tight grip on my wrist.

"Away," I answered simply, attemting to pull my arm free.

"Not without me," he said, pulling me to him enough to kiss me.

I tried to resist against the kiss at first, but found myself melting. The tight, stressed muscles of my body relaxed as I collapsed against him.

"He doesn't matter anymore," he told me softly, holding me against him. "All that matters is us."

I nodded rubbing my eyes. "Gare, can we just go home?" I asked, resting my head in his shoulder.

"No problem, baby," he said quietly, running a hand through my hair. He pulled on his shirt and we headed for the car.

When we got back to Garrett's, I went upstairs, changed out of my swim suit and crawled into bed in a t-shirt and shorts.

"Are you okay?" Garrett asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, beside where I was laying. He was stroking my hair, sending me into a completely relaxed state.

I nodded, already half asleep. "Do you think he told Mila?" I asked, surpressing a yawn.

"Does it really matter?"

"Not really, other than the fact that she was right for once," I explained, smiling up at him lazily.

"What do you mean?"

"That day at the bridal shop, when I was changing, she said the you wanted me. She was right."

"That she was."

"Gare?"

"Yeah?"

"Lay down with me? I'm used to having you with me when I go to sleep," I explained. He smiled, kicking off his shoes before sliding between the blankets. He latched an arm around my waist securely, holding me to him.

I rested my head on his chest and I could hear his heart beating. The gently thump-thump made me relax even more to the point that I drifted off to sleep.